Politics

CONSCIOUSLY LIBERAL | AN OSTENSIBLY INFINITE SHOPPING LIST

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If I told you that there are no constraints on federal government spending, you’d probably think I’m a radical deficit hawk and thus fiscally irresponsible beyond conventional liberal economics. Even Paul Krugman, the personification of liberal economics, doesn’t take it that far and assumes that adequate revenue is necessary for a proper budget (i.e. since borrowing costs are low, the government should run an affordable deficit and spend to offset the lack of private investment). Moreover, the spectrum of the national dialogue on public spending is limited between those who believe that deficit spending and the resulting higher quantity of money in the money supply would cause dangerous levels of inflation, and others (as evidenced by Krugman’s position) who believe that deficit spending can be responsible as long as borrowing is cheap and eventually financed by proper levels of taxation. Yet, Modern Monetary Theory (“MMT”) insists that the fiscal policy positions within that spectrum are all assuming an unnecessary constraint in public spending. In a soon-to-be published paper, Cornell Law School professors Robert Hockett and Saule Omarova undermine the notion of capital being mostly private, hard to come by, and flight-prone, and advance the fact that capital is mostly publicly supplied and “indefinitely extensible[.]”[1] One implication regards the relationship of banks with the economy and the central reserve (a discussion we will bookmark for my next post), but another is that the US can continuously borrow and never go bankrupt.

Politics

WELCOME TO THE ZOO | Paid Paternity Leave

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With an open mind and two sides of the story, you’re bound to learn something new. Welcome to the zoo! This is a blog where both the Republican and Democrat viewpoints are represented. The blog is not meant to sway you either way necessarily, just to present both sides of the story. You may not agree with the whole article, but hey, you’re likely to agree with half!

Politics

OUTSIDE THE MAINSTREAM | TAKE A LOOK IN THE MIRROR

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The last two weeks have been rough. They have been really really rough. Trump has imposed the travel began, ordered the construction of the wall, appointed a Secretary of Education who favors “for-profit” charter schools, cozied up to Russia and signed more “law and order” executive actions. The list could keep going. I actually think the press has not done too terrible of a job covering these stories.

Politics

MCEVOY MINUTE | The Example of Senator Warren

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On Tuesday night, Democrats in the Senate took the floor to speak out against the nomination of Jeff Sessions for Attorney General. Earlier in the day, the Senate voted 52-47 to limit debate on Sessions and move towards the final confirmation vote. Sessions was later confirmed as Attorney General on Wednesday night. There are several concerns that Democratic Senators, and many members of the public, have with the appointment of Sessions. As Attorney General, Sessions would need to be an impartial enforcer of the nation’s laws, which may require him to stand up to President Donald Trump if his actions overstep the boundaries of his executive power.

Politics

KRAVITZ’S KORNER | The Strawman Illegal Immigration Argument

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The Strawman Illegal Immigration Argument

One of the most devious tactics employed by seasoned debaters is to give the impression of refuting an opponent’s argument, while actually refuting an argument that was not advanced by that opponent. Deploying this rhetorical strategy is precisely what many have done when it comes to illegal immigration. This tactic may be effective political theater, but it does nothing to address this important issue. The argument is commonly made that the United States should not increase border security nor defund sanctuary cities because that contradicts the central notion that the United States is a nation comprised of immigrants. This is a prototypical example of a strawman argument.

Politics

NOBODY’S OPINIONS | THE REAL MEANING OF TRUMP’S MUSLIM BAN

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A few weeks ago, I could’ve woken up without seeing something totally insane in my news feed when I checked Facebook in the morning. “Donald Trump suddenly and without warning implements Muslim Ban, causing massive backlash worldwide.” “Eric Trump has a suspiciously high secret service bill.” “Sarah Silverman advocates military revolt against the presidency.” Honestly, though, the most surprising and annoying thing about the last one is that it’s news. Why is it important? It’s obviously not realistic, and it’s not profound, and yet somehow people still care. It’s one of those rare and paradoxical instances where caring about something shows you’re NOT actually taking it seriously (I hope).

Politics

ON MY MIND | NO BAN, NO WALL ON STOLEN LAND: A STATEMENT ON WHY WE PROTEST

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The following statement comes from a group of people from Islamic Alliance for Justice, Native American Students at Cornell (NASAC), Cornell DREAM Team, MEChA de Cornell and Asian Pacific Americans for Action (APAA) who were affected directly or indirectly by the events of this past week and decided to come together to organize. We’re a collective group of students, and this is our collective statement:

Over the past week, President Donald Trump issued a series of executive actions, some of which explicitly target marginalized communities including Muslims, refugees, undocumented peoples, Indigenous folx, Latinx folx, people who cannot access healthcare and working class people. One of these executive orders prohibits entry to the United States for citizens of seven Muslim-majority nations which include Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, Sudan and Syria. Since Trump has claimed that America’s shores are still open to Christian refugees from these countries, the ban rests on the presupposition that Muslims from these countries are terrorists and that Islam is an inherently violent religion. It is worth noting that each of these seven countries has either been directly bombed by the United States or hit with debilitating economic sanctions, and that their residents are being prevented from escaping the conditions created in these countries by US imperialism.

Politics

OUTSIDE THE MAINSTREAM | OPPOSE EVERYTHING

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Trump’s anti-Muslim ban has had harrowing effects on the lives of real people, keeping loved ones away from each other, crushing the dreams of immigrants and trapping people in unfair and unjust situations. It is an aggressive act, designed to incite fear and hatred and put in place to validate a disgusting view of people around the world. Yet the question of how to oppose the ban effectively may prove difficult to answer. While some have put their faith in the judicial system, which may prove effective, Trump’s nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court shows that if the case reaches the court after Gorsuch appointment, there is a good chance the ruling may stand. Personally, I think a more broad-based approach is necessary, which can be seen by what happened last Thursday night.

Politics

WELCOME TO THE ZOO | Sanctuary Cities

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With an open mind and two sides of the story, you’re bound to learn something new. Welcome to the zoo! This is a blog where both the Republican and Democratic viewpoints are represented. The blog is not meant to sway you either way necessarily, just to present both sides of the story. You may not agree with the whole article, but hey, you’re likely to agree with half!